Big Magic

Creative Living Beyond Fear

"Coming September 22nd From the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you've dreamed of. Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert's books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the "strange jewels" that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy"--

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Elizabeth Gilbert delivers another delightful and enlightening book with Big Magic. Displaying her signature use of candor and honesty, she investigates the forces that govern how creativity and inspiration work. She offers sage and thoughtful insight into her own creative process, and she shares knowledge and experiences on how to nurture, respect, and engage with inspiration’s elusive qualities and its divine powers. Her anecdotes and stories are uplifting, fascinating, and, indeed, inspiring. Gilbert is one of those rare writers who you can also revere as a precious teacher. You admire how much she cares and appreciate all she does.

I was incredibly skeptical of this book. I thought it would be all fluff and no substance. I thought it would be overly general and all in all a waste of time. I was wrong! Blissfully wrong! This book is amazing and exactly what I needed. If there is any kind of change at all you are looking to make in your life or simply the way you approach your daily living -- Elizabeth Gilbert is there for you -- not to tell you how to do it, but to give strength to the ideas you already have. High recommend. I will gift this book, I will buy a copy, I hope you all give the gift to yourself that is reading this book.

Big Magic is a great book if you’re looking for inspiration to bring more creativity in your life. Broken into four parts - Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence - this isn’t a “how to get rich as an artist” book, but it’s a “how to make peace with yourself as an artist” book. (In fact, Gilbert believes that’s it cruel to ask your creativity to support you and it’s a pretty good way to kill it.) Big Magic is a reassuring read and drew me like a conversation with a wise and comforting friend... with a little kick in the pants thrown in for good measure.

I feel sorry for Elizabeth - clearly that "incident" with Ann Patchett who didn't answer her question about a new novel's plot to confirm a bit later that her new book's plot was magically identical to that of Liz's idea bothers her. And rightly so. I would also feel anxious if someone asked me about an article I was going to write. I would say, for example, that I was planning to write about an impact of diversity on customer service but then would add that I decided to move on to something else. Then my counterpart would say in Ann's words - are you kidding me? That's exactly my new article's title! What a magical idea exchange! I agree that some innovative ideas can be developed by different people in various locations. As a reader I, perhaps, wouldn't even think twice about that example with Ann, but because the author kept referring to it, explaining it and making sense of it throughout the book, it caught my attention and made me think about it. A few interesting tips could be found in the book but its content is a bit redundant.

Big Magic is the type of book you keep around for inspiration, motivation, and all-round creative guidance. Liz Gilbert writes about the struggles and expectations of living a creative life, which is something Gilbert argues to be something we all live. She mainly speaks about her main creative profession: writing, but this book can be interpreted into any form of creativity such as dancing, gardening, and art! I loved the tidbits of stories that cleanly tie into her next piece of advice for the reader. There were a lot of laughs stuffed between the pages and plenty of advice – for both my life and my creative life – that I will be carrying for the rest of my life. Big Magic is probably the closest thing to a solid cure for Writer's Block. A must-read!
- @Spectacles of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library